Who Are We?

We are a group of concerned citizens in Oak Bay providing a platform to share information and concerns on how Oak Bay United Church's overdevelopment will affect our community.

We Want to Work Together

We want to work with the church to ensure that these issues are properly resolved before any proposal is approved.While we support an initiative to build an appropriately-sized mixed-income, affordable housing, rental project on the church’s property it is important that it fits into and is respectful of this area.The proposal the church has revealed so far does not respect the neighbourhood and as a consequence cannot be supported by its neighbours.

We are proud to put our names here.

The sponsors of the site and members of our group include but are not limited to:

Alan & Maggie Bolitho

Diana Butler

Pat & Peter Hindmarch-Watson

B.G. Judson

Barbara Lamb

Sue MacRae

Patricia Matthews

Wayne Randall

Jake Richardson

Matt Stooke

Wayne Todd

We are the ambassadors of a much larger community in a David & Goliath battle.We are doing this from our own resources, unlike the church whose campaign is funded by BC Housing Management Commission via a $503,292 loan that will be forgiven if the project doesn't go ahead.*

* A Freedom of Information Request received a VERY heavily redacted response. Included in the disclosure was the following, as part of the EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE SUBMISSION in October 2017 to BC Housing:

"RECOMMENDATIONS""THAT Executive Committee approve $479,325 plus $23,967 GST for a total of $503,292 as an interest fee loan, evidenced by a Promissory Note, in Project Development Funding to The Trustees of the Congregation of Oak Bay United Church’s proposal of a 269-unit project at 1369 Mitchell Street in Victoria." BC Housing were being told in April 2017 that the project was for 269 units while the neighbours were being told in November 2017 the OBUC had no preconceived ideas.

The excom submission includes "The requested $503,292 including GST will be given out as an interest free loan and will be evidenced through a Promissory Note. If the project proceeds the loan will be repaid through the anticipated interim construction financing to be provided at Final Project Approval. Should the project never proceed the PDF loan will be forgiven." Among the misinformation still on** the OBUC Housing web site is the following "The $500,000 loan must be repaid by the church whether the project goes ahead or not." **October 20, 2018